Million Dollar Heart
by Yamiga
Summary: Their true misfortunes began when Mordred, Merlin and Gwen's rebellious teen roommate was accused of stealing from one of the most important pair of siblings,Morgana and Arthur Pendragon. Merlin, and the other two are forced to attend a court hearing. However, things begin to change when Arthur Pendragon,rich and wealthy, falls deeply in love with Merlin, the poor part time waiter.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: What's up y'all (you all). Like I mentioned in my story before that's either done or almost done, that I've come up with this small bit right here. Like I said, it's a modern Merthur story with multiple pairings. You'll see those soon enough. Anyway, I really hope you like it as much as you like my other story!**

**Summary: Modern AU. Their true misfortunes started when Mordred, their rebellious roommate, stole from two of the most famous celebrity royals, and they were Morgana and Arthur Pendragon. Now the trio, Gwen, Mordred and Merlin must go to court and plead their case which they know they'll lose. Things become topsy turvy when Arthur Pendragon, rich and famous falls for Merlin, poor and a minimum wage water. As if things couldn't be worse, the three have absolutely no money to pay to the Pendragon family, if and when they are sued. Though, Arthur sees more in Merlin than a quick way to get a unneeded money.**

**Pairings: ArthurXMerlin GwenXLancelot MorganaXMordred MordredXOC**  
**Warnings: Slash, Modern Alternate Universe.**  
**Rating: T may change to M.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own BBC Merlin.**

* * *

It was snowing outside, and Merlin dreaded that type of weather.  
To most people, it was a sign of Christmas, winter, and happiness, but no not for him. Firstly , he didn't have any money to buy anyone a gift, though there weren't a lot of people he cared for. Secondly, he had no money which meant no car, and that meant walking home in the snow. In addition to that misfortune, he lived in a terrible neighborhood.

Nevertheless, he still had three more hours of serving people, and cleaning tables. He didn't mind it as much as people thought he would. It gave him time to be away from home, it gave him time to think about what his life was, or what it could be.

He was young, just emerging the age of twenty four years old, though he looked nineteen. His knowledge far exceeded his years, as he had to quickly learn how to take care of himself and his family, at least that's what he thought of them as.

Years prior to this, this his job and present life, his mother and her two friends had died in a head on car wreck. He was left alone, wandering the streets and evading the authorities for just shy of a month until Gwen, had found him. Her parents were killed in the accident along with his mother, so the two, being best friends, decided to somehow continue on life without their parents. Months after their parent's death's, they would receive money from one of Merlin's late Mother's friends. And old man named Gaius, and this amount of money kept them on their feet until he died, by that time they were just emerging their teenage years, or at least Merlin was.  
Gwen was a bit older than he was, juggling work and school at the same time. By that time, the two lived in a small two story house just outside the city of London.

Even though it wasn't as big as the two had hoped, the outside was beautiful with a green backyard and front yard. Gwen sometimes found peace in planting various flowers that would grow large. Merlin, on the other hand, found peace and comfort in reading and studying. He was smart and brilliant, many of his teachers as he grew always told him that he was destined to be something greater than he was. But never had he thought of leaving Gwen behind, therefore he kept his dreams to himself.

When Merlin was about eighteen, the two had come across a small thief robbing their house. Also about this time, their once peaceful neighborhood had been plagued with gangs and hoodlums. So it wasn't strange to find someone robbing from them. To their surprise, it was an orphaned twelve year old that went by the name of Mordred. Seeing as though he had no other place to stay, the two invited him to stay with them, and he had lived with them ever since.

As he grew, his relationship with Gwen strengthened, while his relationship with Merlin severed. The two could never seem to get along, mainly due to the fact that Mordred had problems with authority. He'd always try to be the "bad kid" often getting in fights in their neighborhood, or at school, which resulted in him getting kicked out more than often. This left Gwen and Merlin (who was finishing school himself) scrambling to find him a new place of study.  
When Mordred messed up like this, he and Merlin would usually have loud arguments that would result in physical fights, leaving a very small Gwen to break them up.

These fights would usually leave things broken, and both of the boys badly injured, so to avoid them, Merlin liked to stay at work very late, like he was doing now.

He wouldn't have to worry about Mordred, and Gwen was always at the small restaurant with him. The two could talk and serve at the same time, after all, hardly anybody ever visited the place.

Every so often, Merlin would see the lights of an expensive car driving by, and he could only guess that it was the car of a famous celebrity. They tended to do that, drive by the poor areas just to brag and show off. Merlin and Gwen had gotten used to it, on the other hand, Mordred hated it.

He'd often become very angry and complain about it, saying that if he ever got the chance, he'd kill one of them. Gwen had advised him to keep those thoughts to himself, as he could get arrested for just the slightest offense.

Merlin had partly agreed with him, though he never told anybody. It was known to him, and only to him that it was a celebrity that was drunk that night that his mother and Gwen's parents were killed. The man, Merlin hated to remember his name, had crashed headfirst into his mother's car and when he finally became sober, he didn't even donate a penny to his victims.  
This hardened Merlin view on the wealthy, and deep down inside, he agreed with every bit Mordred had to say about them. But he was only a poor student waiter, he would never get his chance, and it had just been something he'd learned to live with.

* * *

"Merlin, it's almost time to close shop." Gwen's voice echoed through the restaurant from the kitchen window. "Bundle up, it's cold outside."

"Sure." Merlin replied, his thick, Irish accent rolling off of his tongue. He presently cleaned wooden tables that were coated with mess left from the people who had eaten on them. He hummed a familiar tune to himself just to keep himself motivated. "Give me a second."

He looked at the clock that nearly read eleven o'clock. Quickly, he picked up his lagging pace until he had finished all the tables. He then took his towel to the back and placed it in the sink.

"Kara," Merlin said as he saw a young girl asleep in the corner. He softly nudged her with his foot. "It's time to go." His calm voice woke her up from her precious sleep.

"Is it?" She yawned and stood up. "Thank you Merlin, I'll be going now."  
The two exited the kitchen, and to their surprise, someone had entered the old restaurant looking less than pleased. It was Mordred. He stood there with his arms crossed as if he had some type of authority.

"What do you want?" Merlin asked. "Shouldn't you be at home?"  
"I was here to inform Gwen that there would be a snow storm, and that we should leave soon." Mordred dryly replied.

"Mordred, is that you?" Gwen had emerged from the kitchen and quickly ran over to Mordred. She pulled him into a deep hug before releasing him and staring at Merlin.  
"Your clothes, they have powder on them." She softly said as she went over and started to pat him down.

He wore a black blouse, black pants and black shoes. Everybody did at that moment excluding Mordred, it was their uniform.  
"Thanks Gwen, but we can wash them when we get home." He gave a slight smile as he turned to look at Kara. "You should be getting home soon, after all, you heard what Mordred said..."

"Yes um..." Kara looked at Merlin a bit and blushed. He didn't seem to notice her as she attempted to smile. "See you tomorrow Merlin, Gwen..." And with that, the young girl was gone.

"Are we leaving or not?" Mordred asked in anger. "We'll be stuck here if we stay any longer."  
"Unlike you Mordred, we have a responsibility to_" "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"  
"Don't start now, at least not in public." Gwen begged. "After all, we are almost done. After that we can walk home together."

"I'm not sure I want to walk home with him." Mordred said, eying Merlin.  
"We'll, I didn't say I was pleased with your presence either."

Before the two could get into it any further, they saw bright lights, those of a wealthy person's car stop right outside of their restaurant. Merlin had suddenly realized that he'd forgotten to switch the sign on the door to "Closed" which meant he couldn't stop the two as the got out of the car.

They were certainly well dressed, he could see that from the large window. They had long coats, gloves and scarves made of fine material. He knew they had to be warm.  
One was a man while the other one was a woman, they seemed to engage in small talk before they had entered the shop.

When the two entered, Merlin felt his heart harden like it had all those years ago.  
"Table for two." The man said, with a demanding voice.  
"I'm sorry, but we are closed." Merlin replied calmly. "Perhaps you can come back tomorrow." And with that, Merlin attempted to make his way to the back, but the man had roughly grabbed his arm and forced Merlin to look at him.

* * *

Arthur hadn't expected the waiter to be so young, neither so beautiful in his opinion. He thought he was a young Irish lad, attempting to instigate a fight but his facial expression wore nothing but genuine anger and for a split second fear.

Morgana touched Arthur's shoulder, bidding him to let the boy go. "Sorry_"  
"Follow me for your table." The Waiter said, obviously pissed. As the two followed after him, Arthur cast a nervous glance to Morgana who rolled her eyes in anger. When the two were finally seated, the waiter began to talk.

"My name is Merlin...what can I get you to drink?" He asked with the most uninterested voice.  
"Tea please." Morgana said. "Semi sweet." Merlin rolled his eyes at this, but wrote it down on a small pad.  
"And you, sir?" He looked at Arthur. "What do you want?"  
"I'll take a strong brandy." Arthur replied. Within seconds, the waiter left and Arthur continued to stare as if he was still there.  
"Arthur!" Morgana yelled hitting him. "Stop it."  
"I can't help it..." Arthur said. "There is something about him, he...he's different!"  
"Arthur, you've literally only known him for two seconds and I think he dislikes you. Plus dad, would never let you engage in a real relationship with him because for one, he's poor and secondly, he's a man." Morgana sighed. "You're not like him Arthur, he's not like you."

"Is it wrong for me to dream? I've pissed him off haven't I?" Arthur sighed.  
"And it was wrong of you, we couldn't gone somewhere else." Morgana snapped.  
"I have to make it up to him, but how?" The blond itched his head. "Oh shh, he's coming."

Merlin returned with a semi sweetened tea and a strong brandy. "Anything else?" He asked.  
"That'll be all, thank you." Morgana said, all the while Arthur sill stared at Merlin.  
"What is it?" Merlin asked. "Is it the fact that I'm not wearing nice clothes like you or your little girlfriend?" The waiter crossed his arms. "You know what, never mind...just hurry up and get out of here."

"No, that's not it..." Arthur said. "I just wanted to say sorry!"  
"I'd never believe one of your kind." Merlin had left before the siblings could say anything else.

* * *

"Of course you wouldn't stand up to them." Mordred taunted as Merlin walked into the back. "You're afraid of them aren't you."

"Shut up." Merlin commanded.  
"Fine, I'm just telling you the truth." Mordred laughed and left the kitchen leaving Merlin and Gwen alone.  
"You didn't see the way he stared at me." Merlin said. "Like he judged me."  
"Don't let him get to you." Gwen comforted. "Don't let them get to you...do you know who they are?"  
"No, and I don't want to. They're all the same, aren't they?"

Gwen shrugged and managed a smile. "Are you going to go and check on them soon, or do you want me to?"

"I will, they only wanted drinks. Let me get them their bill ready." Merlin had made a trip to the cash register finally back to the two's table. He slammed the bill on the table.

"Just pay and be done with it." He ordered without looking at them. His view was on someone else, someone who looked much more suspicious than usual, Mordred. He decided to ignore the fact the blond boy handed him the check.

Arthur Pendragon. It read, and the name sent shivers down Merlin's spine. The girl next to him had to be Morgana Pendragon, and that made him feel even angrier.  
"Thank you," Morgana rose and headed towards the door. She slung her open purse over her shoulder. Merlin didn't say a word back, he only watched her leave.  
"Um..." Arthur stood and extended his hand for Merlin to shake. The waiter only crossed his arms and walked away. "I'll be back tomorrow Merlin, my actions today were rather childlike." Merlin ignored him until he vanished to the back with Gwen.

"Let's get Mordred and get the hell out of here."

* * *

When Morgana sat in the car, she became frantic as she looked through her purse.  
"I didn't drink the brandy, if that's what you are thinking." Arthur comforted.  
"No, my wallet...it's missing." She said frantically. "One of them...I think they stole it."  
"You must've dropped it." Arthur hadn't put his keys in the ignition yet.  
"I know they stole it!" She yelled. "That boy with the curly hair...he wasn't a employee,i it was him!"  
"Let's go inside and look then, we can_" "No." Morgana's phone was already pulled from her pocket. "I'm calling the authorities right now. I won't let those thieves get away with my things."

* * *

**I'd write more, but I'm stuck in a really bad situation...so please review! **

**I don't own BBC Merlin.**


	2. Chapter 2

Merlin looked at his reflection in a glass window and sighed deeply. "Okay, it's time to go." He said to both Gwen and Mordred. The two sat conversing at a table, laughing slightly.

"You've said that about three times." Gwen replied.  
"Well I'm serious this time, the snow is starting to pick up."

As Merlin waited for the two to stand, he was surprised to see the same bright lights from the car before. He felt his heart sink when he saw the same two people emerging from the car.  
"What's this about?" Gwen asked as the two quickly barged into the restaurant.  
"Where's my wallet, and my glasses?" The woman asked angrily.  
"How would we know where your stuff is?" Merlin asked, looking at both Gwen and Mordred.

"Because he," And the woman pointed at Mordred. "Stole it. When you were in the back, probably planning this, he came out and stood next to us at our table, he stole my things! I want them back now."

"Me?" Mordred addressed himself. "I'm sorry, but I wouldn't want to steal anything from your fake hands. I'd rather steal from the dumpster."

"How dare you!" The man this time, whom Merlin discovered was Arthur after he signed his bill, quickly advanced towards Mordred.

"Save your breath, look outside." The woman said. And the four looked towards the windows. To Gwen's dismay she saw police officers emerging from their cars and heading into the restaurant.

"What's the meaning of this?" She asked nervously, but they didn't pay her any mind or Merlin. They only went over to the two siblings and asked them a few questions.

"There!" The woman said. "He's the one." And she still pointed at Merlin.  
"Are you certain, Lady Morgana?"  
"Lady Morgana?" The three said in unison.  
"She's royality?" Mordred whispered a bit loudly to Gwen.  
"Yes, yes I am. I am the daughter of a Duke!" Morgana had obviously heard them. "Return my things to me!"

"I don't have your stuff, you stupid whore!" Mordred yelled. Merlin had gasped, Gwen and Morgana placed their hands on their mouth's, and Arthur tensed up. However, before Mordred could actually say another word, the authorities had restrained him.

"Let him go!" Gwen yelled. "He doesn't have anything!"  
"Yes, that's what people like you always say." Morgana calmly replied.  
"Get your hands off of me!" Mordred yelled as the authorities took him out of the restaurant.  
Morgana gave a prideful smirk while Gwen burst into tears and ran into the back. For some strange reason, Arthur made way to comfort her.

"You leave her alone!" Merlin harshly hissed as he advanced past Arthur.

* * *

"You didn't have to do that." Arthur said. "That was rude."  
"That brat insulted me and took my things." Morgana replied. "He deserved it, don't let them get to you Arthur_" She stopped short and stared dead underneath the table they sat at. Arthur caught her eye and stared where she did. To their horror, they saw that Morgana's wallet and glasses were under the table where the two had previously sat. Morgana's things weren't stolen, she'd only dropped them.

"Morgana..." Arthur turned towards his sister. "You've just sent an innocent man to jail!"  
"I...I didn't know, I thought that_" "You're all the same." This was the Irishman's voice, Merlin's. He and his friend had just emerged from the back, his friend was still in tears.

"You accused him because he was poor right?" Merlin asked. "Because he's not as rich or as wealthy as you?" The waiter quickly advanced towards Arthur. "Get out of here." He said. "Both of you and don't ever come back."

"I'm sorry!" Morgana had her things in her hands.  
"Leave!" Merlin yelled.

The Pendragon's did as they were told without question.  
Merlin and Gwen stood there and watched them leave. Gwen's shoulders sagged as she attempted not to cry. At that time, Merlin softly rubbed his shoulder and shook his head.

"Let's go home Gwen."

* * *

"Out." Arthur commanded as he stopped in front of his father's large mansion. Morgana lived with their father, Uther, but Arthur had recently moved out of their house and into an expensive flat in London.

"You're not coming in?" Morgana seemed slightly puzzled.  
"Morgana, I really don't want to talk to you or father right now, just leave."  
Morgana could tell that Arthur was furious, especially after the way he quickly drove away.

Arthur couldn't believe Morgana. She was almost like Uther, and that was the reason he'd moved out in the first place. He couldn't stand their constant nagging, their cling to their Royal heritage. From the moment of his birth, everything was planned out for him. Who to be around, where to go, what to wear and what to eat, and most importantly, who to love. He didn't want that anymore, and moving away was his first step into clearing his name.

When he arrived home he took his shoes off and went straight to bed.  
Before he drifted off into a peaceful sleep, his couldn't get Merlin's image out of his head. Strangely, there was just something odd about him. It wasn't odd in a bad way, it was just something different, something that Arthur had liked.

* * *

Gwen and Merlin arrived home soaked and drenched. The two really hadn't said anything during the walk home, they only held their coats around them and tried to stay warm.

When they reached their neighborhood, there were the usual gangs around lurking around, but they paid no mind to Merlin and Gwen, seeing as though Mordred wasn't with them.

"What are we going to do?" Gwen finally asked as they settled down.  
"I'm not sure Gwen...I mean, to get him out of jail would be expensive..." Merlin sighed. "I don't want you to feel like I'm giving up on him."

The two sat down at their wooden table in their kitchen. Merlin placed his head in his hands while Gwen rose and began to cook dinner. "I hope you don't mind eating small bits." She announced.

"Have I ever?" Merlin replied.

* * *

When Arthur awoke the next day, he was surprised to see that his father was in his bedroom. The man rummaged through his son's desk and other personal belongings as if trying to find something important.

"Father..." Arthur sat up from bed. "What are you doing here?"  
"Morgana, told me everything that happened last night...I'm sorry to hear it." Uther replied, which greatly confused Arthur.  
"What do you mean?"  
"There will be a court hearing set later this week..." Uther smiled. "I believe justice will be served."

* * *

Merlin ran to work with a book and an envelope in his hand. He loved to read, especially things having to do with history or science, on the other hand he greatly disliked letters. They were simple signs that things were going downhill.

When he arrived at work, he saw Kara there, cleaning the tables and their manager, Freya at the cash register.

"Hey Merlin! You're here early, where's Gwen?" She shouted.  
"Work." Merlin replied. "Or her second job. Look what I got in the mail." Both the girls quickly ran over to him as he opened the envelope. As he read on, he felt his heart sink into his stomach.

"Court hearing?" Kara asked. "For Mordred, but why?"  
"The stupid Pendragon bitch accused him of stealing her things, she figured out she dropped the stuff later on." Merlin crumbled the paper and put it in his pocket.

Both Freya and Kara looked at each other. "Would you like us to come with you?" One of them asked.  
Merlin shook his head and went into the kitchen.

* * *

Arthur roughly made his way into his sister's building where she was apparently getting one of her many photo shoots. He pulled her from in front of the camera and began to talk to her.

"What did you tell father?" He asked in anger. "About what happened?"  
"Not now Arthur I'm_" "What did you tell father?" His voice was more than threatening.  
"I had to lie..." Morgana's voice rang with guilt. "He wouldn't believe me...I'm sorry Arthur." He let go of his sister's hand and left.

He took it upon himself to get into his car and drive back to the restaurant.  
Arthur felt relieved when he realized there were no customers and only the employees were there. He quickly parked his car in the parking lot and ran inside.

"Hello sir! How may I help you?" This voice came from a young and joyful teenage girl. Arthur smiled at her as walked to the cash register.  
"Is there a man by the name of Merlin, who works here?" He asked.  
"Yes_ MERLIN!" The girl yelled, flinging her brown hair back.  
Seconds later, Merlin, the same waiter emerged from the kitchen. He walked behind the girl, touched her shoulder and whispered something in her ear. She smiled nervously at him and then left the two men to conversate.

"What the hell do you want?" Merlin crossed his arms.  
"I'm sorry for what happened." Arthur said with nothing but honesty ringing in his voice.  
"No you're not, your lot is never sorry. You're all the_" "What do you have against me?" Arthur regretted interrupting him.

"I have everything against you and your kind!" Merlin pointed at him. "Because of your kind, I'm where I am today!"  
"Excuse me, but I hardly see how this is my fault!" Arthur replied.  
"And of course you wouldn't." Merlin laughed and through his hands into the air. "You are all the same!"  
"Don't classify me Merlin." Arthur sounded angry. "I can't help being what I am."

Merlin groaned, rolled his eyes and turned around. However, Arthur roughly took his arm in a firm hold.  
"Let me go!" Merlin yelled. "Now!"  
"Not until you accept my apology." Arthur replied, only holding him tighter. To his surprise, Merlin's eyes became watery and he started...crying.

"I'll tell you why I hate your kind so much!" He yelled. "It was your father, Uther Pendragon, who crashed into my mother's car the night she died! And now here you are, his son, making my life a living hell!"

Arthur didn't have to be told twice to let go of Merlin's arm.  
He could've hugged Merlin, or comforted him, but he just let the waiter pass by, with thick tears in his eyes.

* * *

**Not so sure what to think about this chapter, but please, please review! Oh, and I don't own BBC Merlin.**

**On the upside I've got a Twilight Story (based on books not movie) coming up, a Resident Evil story coming up, and another Merlin story coming up!**


	3. Chapter 3

The few days before the hearing were very mellow. It snowed heavily, leaving a depressing feeling over the restaurant. All the while, Gwen couldn't' help thinking about Mordred's whereabouts and his well being. On the brighter side, Arthur had stopped popping up when he wasn't needed, but Merlin only feared that it was temporary.  
On the day of the hearing, Merlin and Gwen had dressed and their finest and had made their way down to the courthouse. When they arrived, Merlin wasn't surprised when he saw a gang of paparazzi already lining up at the entrance.

"They must be here already." Merlin said as Gwen took his arm.  
"I don't have a good feeling about this." Gwen replied as they made way inside.

* * *

Arthur and Morgana were used to the publicity and the spotlights. Morgana liked the camera's flashing in her face and the reporters asking her questions and what nots. Arthur on the other hand couldn't stand it, he hated it so much that he entered the courtroom through the back, where he couldn't be seen with his father of sister.

The courthouse, as usual was large. He remembered coming to the same courthouse as a young boy when his parent's got their divorce. He hadn't liked it that time, and he didn't like it this time.

He looked around at all the various people as he entered the large courtroom, he saw Morgana and his father, as their body guards ushered reporters and paparazzi away, he saw the jury that seemed to be filled with those that ranked his social class, and last but not least he saw Merlin and his friend.

He wanted to go over to the waiter and say something, but he knew that would cause more problems. After a while, the judge called for the court to be seated and Arthur made sure to sit away from his family.

"The court," The judge bellowed. "Is in order."

The Jury nodded as well as Uther. Morgana on the other hand, looked sheepish and Arthur knew why. He wanted to see if she'd lie.

"Ms. Pendragon, may you explain what happened? How this boy stole from you?" 'This boy', Arthur knew was their friend Mordred. He sat at the front of the room, his hands restrained with authorities on either side of him.

"Um well..." Morgana paused.  
"Continue," The judge said.  
"He came out from the kitchen and stood behind me, while I wasn't looking, he took my things." Morgana shook her head in shame, though the judge couldn't see her.  
Arthur saw that Merlin's shoulders had tensed. Merlin knew Morgana was lying, but at the same time he knew there was nothing he could do about it.

"That's a lie!" Everybody, including Morgana turned to look at the voice had come from. It was Arthur, he stood so everybody could see him. "Morgana's glasses and wallet were never stolen, she dropped them under the table we ate at. Then she accused the young man of taking her stuff. When the two of us arrived back at the restaurant, Morgana found her things under the table we sat at."

There was a gasp from the jury and the judge, they all turned towards an embarrassed Morgana. "Is this true, Morgana?" The Judge asked.

Everybody's eyes were on Morgana as she nodded, much to her father's dismay.  
"Well then, in that case," The judge bellowed in a deep voice. "Case dismissed."  
_

* * *

Both Gwen and Merlin ran over to Mordred who was feeling his free wrists.  
"Let's get out of here." Merlin said.  
"I couldn't agree more, their perfume is giving me a headache." Gwen said.

The trio exited the courthouse, swiftly dodging the camera's and reporters that attempted to get a story out of him.

"I'm going to work." Gwen said. "Perhaps you two can go home?" This wasn't the first time she tried to give those two some alone time.  
"I think I'll get a bite to eat." Mordred quickly responded.  
"I have to go to work." Merlin added.

Gwen managed a smile. "Well, then I trust I'll see you all later." She then made her way away from the courthouse and down the snow littered street.  
Before Merlin could turn around, Mordred was already gone.  
Merlin sighed and began his long walk to the restaurant before someone roughly grabbed his shoulder.

"Wait a second before you go!" It was Arthur, as usual.  
"What is it you want this time? Hurry, I actually have to go to work and make money, unlike you. You get everything handed to you on a silver platter." Merlin's Irish accent was thicker than usual, and Arthur knew that it was because he was angry.

"Here." Arthur took something out of his pocket, it was his checkbook. He ripped out a check and quickly began writing writing on it with a pen and then he handed it to Merlin.

"I don't want your money." Merlin pushed the check away.  
"Please take it, you need it, I know you do." Arthur was begging now.  
"No, goodbye Arthur." Merlin had yanked free only for Arthur to step in front of him.  
"I know you don't want it but...tomorrow, what are you doing?"

Merlin's eyes opened wide after he heard this question.  
"No_" "Please, just tell me yes or no. If you have to work, I'll just give you money for your off time." Arthur smiled. "Please, I need to know."

Merlin considered for a second, and then spoke. "I'm off at six tomorrow."  
"Then, I'll be at your restaurant at eight." Arthur replied. "You'll wait for me right?"

"Sure." Merlin replied.  
It seemed like Arthur wanted to say something else, but his father called for him and he excused himself. Merlin watched as he ran towards and angry Uther and a crying Morgana. He wondered what the two would say once they figured out that Arthur had basically asked him out.

* * *

**Today was a terrible, reviews would make me happy.**

**I dont' own BBC Merlin.**


	4. Chapter 4

Merlin kept his beard, more than often to look older. It wasn't long and distracting, it was really just a small stubble, a five o'clock shadow. It was usually the first thing people noticed about him and he liked it that way, however, upon going on a date with a Pendragon, his co-worker's advised him to shave it off.

"What happens if he wants to score?" Freya joked as she pushed chairs in. "That hair on your face will get in the way."  
"If he doesn't like it, then we don't have to go out." Merlin replied.  
"But, when it's shaved...it makes you look a lot younger." Kara, who was wiping tables, encouraged. "Trust me!"  
"I can't shave it now." Merlin sighed.  
"Well, you've got an hour." Freya said.  
"Hey, I'm not going to try to look my best for someone I hardly know, I mean...why ask me out anyway?" Merlin shivered a bit. "Does his family know he has an interest in guys?"

"Probably not." Freya shrugged. "It's highly uncommon."

* * *

Arthur examined himself in the bathroom of his flat. He wanted to make sure he looked amazing for Merlin. His hair was shaggy, but he didn't think that the brunette would mind that. He wore nice slacks and a nice long sleeved shirt. He made sure that his breath smelt nice in case he had plans in mind to sneak one on Merlin and he made sure that he in general looked nice.

Seconds later, his phone rang. He took it from his pocket and cringed when he saw that it was Morgana who was calling. "What?" He asked, his voice was void of all emotion.

"We're having dinner tonight with one of father's good friends. This man, is the CEO of a nation wide company, and he has a daughter about your age. Father wants you two to meet, I believe a marriage is_" "Sorry, but you'll have to tell father I'm booked for tonight."

"What?"  
"Bye Morgana." Arthur tapped the end button and placed his phone in his pocket.  
Whatever Uther , Morgana or anybody else had in store, he just wasn't going to be apart of it. He had plans in mind for something that didn't concern them.

He sighed, and propped himself on his expensive bathroom counter.  
He hated the life he was born into, he hated that he had to live with his life being chosen for him. The fact that Uther, wanted him to marry a woman he didn't know made him angry inside.

If only he could escape from all of it, but the media would be on his back. He didn't have a life of his own. It was publicly displayed, and mostly Uther and Morgana were to blame for that. The way the indulged in telling reporters every single thing that happens in their lives.

He wanted it to be over, he wanted to live the life of a normal person, but that was all shattered when his dad divorced his mother. He was forbidden to ever see her again and that deeply affected him.

So going out with Merlin, a normal person, a real person, was the only piece of true reality Arthur had left, and he planned to keep it that way.  
_

* * *

Bye Seven fifty, Merlin saw Arthur's car pull up.  
He braced himself as the man entered the restaurant and smiled. Merlin felt his cheeks go read when Arthur pulled him into a strange embrace before releasing him and placing his hands on Merlin's shoulders.

"I have a place in mind." Arthur said. "You're dressed nicely enough."  
"I thought we were eating here." Merlin protested.  
"No, I want to take you somewhere that you'll remember on your first date." Arthur grabbed Merlin's hand and took him outside.  
Merlin waved at Freya and Kara before vanishing into the car.

"So, can you tell me a bit about yourself, something I don't know." Arthur asked as he started the car. "I can tell you're from Ireland."

"Yeah." Merlin said. "I moved when I was younger, to England...Ireland wasn't the best place for my mother and I...after my father left things just went downhill."

"What's your Religion? I heard that was a problem in Ireland."  
"Oh, I'm Catholic...that was a terrible problem. We lived in a protestant area." Merlin smiled. "You ask a lot of questions."

"I'm a curious person." Arthur said. "I'm curious about you."  
"Well can I ask a question or two?" Merlin jokingly replied. Arthur nodded.  
"Tell me about yourself, your life must be amazing, compared to mine." Merlin sighed. "True?"  
"Somewhat..." Arthur shook his head. "You know, you actually have it lucky. You can choose the life you want, if I still lived with my father, he'd take my life from me...he still tried."

"What does your mother say?" Merlin asked.  
Arthur tensed up and sighed. "She and my father were divorced when I was very young. I was forced to stay with my father, any my illegitimate half sister. Funny thing about it is while my mother and father were married, he was sleeping with Morgana's whore of a mother and now the two are married. I can't stand that woman, and I can't stand Morgana. I left a while back and now I live alone in my flat, but like I said my father tries to control me, but I don't let him."

"I'm sorry." Merlin said. "Do you ever visit your mother."  
"I would, but I can't find her...and my father would disapprove of it." Arthur frowned. "What about you?"

"You already know about me...at least a bit. My mother and my friend Gwen's parent's died in an accident, leaving Gwen and I behind. One of my mother's friends used to pay us monthly but he died, so now we're kind of poor." Merlin chuckled. "After I graduated Highschool, I got a job and now I have to support my...family, I guess. But we're not together."

"You didn't go to college?"  
"Didn't have enough money."  
"What grades did you make?"  
"I was Valedictorian...I got scholarships to a few different Universities, Kingston and...Oxford." Merlin paused to shake his head.  
"You never went, did you?" Arthur sounded sympathetic.  
"I couldn't leave Gwen, or Mordred."  
"Mordred, when or how did he come about?" Arthur asked curiously.

"When he was twelve, he attempted to break in our house and steal something from us. Since then, he's lived with us, we pay for him with whatever we get." Merlin smiled. "So, that's why I can never leave."

"That's not fair though." Arthur protested.  
"I'm sorry, but my life isn't like yours, it is very limited."

* * *

"Is Arthur, not coming for dinner tonight?" The young woman asked Morgana as the two sat at the table.  
"No, Miss Sarah_" "Just Sarah." The woman, blond hair and pink cheeks smiled.  
"No Sarah, he said he has plans." Morgana managed.  
"I thought a proposal was of the essence." Sarah said, looking at Morgana, and Uther.  
"It is, I just have to let Arthur know." Uther said. "Our families will prosper when the two of you are married." Uther lightly touched Sarah's arm. "I've already made the arrangements and I've signed the papers for my son. I just require his signature and your signature and then the wedding will be official."

"I would love to have you as a sister-in-law Sarah." Morgana took a sip of her wine.  
"I could not agree more."

* * *

"Here it is." Arthur had quickly rushed to open Merlin's door before helping him out of the car. "Launceston Place." Arthur softly squeezed Merlin's shoulders.  
"It looks expensive." Merlin said.  
"It is, I told you it would be someplace special." Arthur replied.

Arthur grabbed Merlin's hand and tried to pull him, but he just stayed. "I can't go in there." Merlin protested. "I don't belong, I'd be out of place."

"Don't, make me carry you in." Arthur joked as he tugged on Merlin's sleeve. "It'll be fine, trust me."

When the two entered the extravagant restaurant, Merlin felt the AC hit him like a storm wind. It carried the smell of thick leather seats and artificial scents of fruits.

A waiter, who looked much happier than Merlin did, quickly ushered the two to their seats and then asked them what they wanted to drink. Merlin, who was always used to ordering water since it was free, was the first one to state his answer.

"Come on, why not a wine?" Arthur urged.  
"No thanks." Merlin pressed. "It's...I shouldn't be drinking it."

The waiter left the two to themselves for a while.  
"So how do you like it?"  
"It's okay, people seem to be giving me strange looks." Merlin's shoulders sagged. "Can't imagine why."  
"Ignore them." Arthur said as the waiter returned with their drinks. They quickly ordered their food, which Arthur picked, then again they were left alone. Merlin became wary of the well dressed expensive men and women staring at him. They were judgmental glares, as if saying he didn't belong there.

"Merlin." Arthur had rubbed his hand. "Don't even pay any mind to them."  
"It's hard not to." Merlin sighed. "I don't belong here, I'm not one of them. I'm not one of you."  
"Don't say that." Arthur took Merlin's hand. "You are real, you are you Merlin." For a second, Arthur brought Merlin's hand to his lips and Merlin thought he'd go for a kiss.

Arthur's phone rang, causing him to softly place Merlin's hand on the table.  
"What?" He sounded angry.

His face changed as the speaker on the phone, a woman spoke to him, without warning he had pressed the glass screen and placed it in his pocket.

"What is it?" Merlin asked.  
"Nothing." Arthur stopped, causing Merlin to look rather shocked.  
"I'm sorry," Arthur apologized. "I didn't mean to get angry."

Merlin blushed a little bit before looking up at Arthur. "It's fine." The Waiter arrived and place their food on the table. It was a dish that Merlin hadn't ever seen, so he was very curious about it.

People around stared at Merlin as he tried to make sense of the small bit of steak and salad on his plate. "Am I supposed to eat this?"

An audible laugh was heard from the booth behind them, which made Merlin sheepish.

"He doesn't even know how to eat." It was a high pitched female voice and Arthur could only imagine that they were the spoiled daughters of some rich man.

"I know, why is he here?" Another girl asked.

Both Merlin and Arthur could hear the girls mocking him.

Merlin vividly remembered getting into fights with children like this when he was younger, but he knew he'd only be asking for death if he hit one of the girls. Without warning, Merlin stood, thanked Arthur and walked out of the restaurant.

Arthur's eyes opened wide, as well as the two girls who mocked him. They hadn't gotten a good look at him before and when they saw him they were surprised by how attractive he was.  
"Sorry!" One of the girls said to Arthur.  
He only ignored them and headed outside in the snow, where Merlin seemed to be walking away. "Merlin!" Arthur called out. "Wait!"

Merlin only continued to walk faster, all the way to the street where he could haul a taxi.  
Like always, Arthur caught up to him and grabbed his arm. "Merlin, I'm sorry_" "It's not your fault, those two were right." Merlin continued to try to pull away.

"Let me drive you home!" Arthur yelled.  
"No! We shouldn't do things like this, you're rich, you're a noble I'm poor, I don't need to be around you! I'll ruin your title!"  
"You think I give a damn about my title?" Arthur asked as he turned Merlin around to face him. "I've been trying to escape what I am for years, and years, and years! You are the only bit of true reality I have and if you leave now..." Arthur stared at Merlin. "Please. I like having you around."

"Will you take me back to my restaurant so I can go home?" Merlin asked.  
"Yes." Arthur said, at the same time wondering why he would not just take Merlin home.  
"Okay."

The two got into the car and drove back to the restaurant where Merlin got out. Before Merlin left he turned around and faced Arthur. "I really, did enjoy tonight...maybe we can do it again some other time."

"That would be great." Arthur said. "Really great."

* * *

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**And I DON'T own BBC Merlin.**


	5. Chapter 5

"And where were you?" Mordred asked as Merlin entered the house. "You seem happy."  
"Does it matter to you?" Merlin rudely replied as he shut the door. "I don't ask you about your whereabouts, so why are you so concerned about mine?"

Mordred crossed his arms and stared at Merlin with a curious look. "You seem happier than_" "Shut up and go help Gwen in the kitchen." Merlin's voice was threatening.

"No need to be pissy." Mordred replied as he vanished.

* * *

"Where the hell were you?" Morgana made a surprise appearance in her brother's flat.  
"None of your damn business." Arthur replied.  
"Yes it is, you were supposed to sign a proposal agreement, father wishes for you to wed his business partner's daughter." Morgana said. "You have no choice."

"Oh Morgana, yes I do." Arthur bleakley said. "I had a choice ever since you and father started playing with my heart."  
"Are you referring to Peter? That poor boy who killed_" "He never killed himself Morgana." Arthur now walked towards his sister. "It was your actions and father's that led him to his grave! You took the person I loved the most and you pushed him over the edge, how dare you bring up someone so pure when talking about a whore such as father or yourself."

"Arthur!" Morgana shouted. "Take that back."  
"Never, it is the truth, and you can tell Father I said that." Arthur's said. "Now, get the hell out of here."

* * *

Merlin and Mordred continued to go at each other, even after dinner.  
In turn, Mordred threw a punch at Merlin causing the two to go at each other. Gwen threw pillows at them so they could stop, and eventually that worked. Sad to say, in the ruckus, the front door fell off of its hinges leaving the house vulnerable to the many gang members or robbers.

"Mordred, you sleep downstairs on the couch tonight in case someone breaks in." Merlin ordered. "We don't want to get raped or anything..."  
"You'd love that." Mordred joked. "Having a man stick himself up your_" "Now quiet!" Gwen yelled. "Mordred, it's only fair that you sleep down here. Afterall, you broke the door."

The two boys stared at each other before Merlin retreated upstairs. He didn't have time to deal with Mordred, he was reflecting on his night.  
As he jumped into his bed, he wondered whether the date had gone as Arthur planned. Still, the fact that the blond had made such an effort to make Merlin happy made him warm up inside.

* * *

That night, sadly, someone had gotten into the house.  
Mordred claimed that a friend in his gang called him late at night and he had to go. The thief attempted to rape Gwen but Merlin was able to fight him and throw him out of the window. After that, Gwen was so frightened that she slipped in bed with Merlin for the rest of the night.

The next morning, Mordred had not yet returned and the two headed to work. Both dressed in their waiter and waitress uniform.

* * *

Instead of waiting, like Merlin usually did, Freya had asked him to cook.  
He liked doing that on some occasions, for one, he didn't have to deal with rude customers and his food always received compliments.  
That day though, their friends, Lancelot, Lance for short, Elyon, Gwen's brother, and Percival, Percy for short, had decided to stop by. Merlin who was on break decided to venture out of the kitchen and talk with them. He ended up telling them, and Gwen, all about his date.

"Just promise you won't leave for modelling like Gwaine did." Lancelot said as he had his arm around Gwen. "That was sad."  
"Don't remind us." Elyon said. "Now he's a multi millionaire."

The group took a moment to sigh before finally talking about their daily lives. For instance, Lancelot being a steady Lawyer, Percival as well. Elyon was in the air force, something that had always concerned Gwen but she tried not to show it.

"Where' s Mordred?" Lance asked.  
"Out with that 'gang' of his." Merlin spat. "He'll get himself killed."  
"Don't say that."  
"It's true." Elyon said to Gwen. "Perhaps he could join the airforce, like me."  
"Joining the air force, requires responsibility," Merlin said. "And it's something Mordred lacks_"

They all stopped and looked at the large window where someone was knocking. To Merlin's surprise it was Arthur. He wore a nice black suit, Merlin could only guess that he just got back from something important.

"Oh." Merlin quickly ran and opened the door, allowing Arthur entrance. Gwen, and the rest of the guys stared in shock.  
"That's him?" Lance asked. "The Son of the Duke?"  
"My thoughts exactly." Percy added.

The group watched as Arthur smiled and explain himself to Merlin, who smiled as the Duke waved his hands up and about.  
Merlin brought Arthur over to the table where his friends sat.  
"Hello," Arthur began. "You are his friend's, I suppose?"  
The group looked nervously at one another before forcing Lance to speak. "Yes your grace!"  
"Oh, I'm not a Duke yet. You can call me Arthur." He smiled.

Everybody in the restaurant then turned to Lance, as if to see if he'd actually call the Duke's son Arthur.  
Before he could, Arthur tugged on Merlin's sleeve and whispered something in his ear.

"Not now." Merlin said. "I'm still on my shift."  
"When?" Arthur asked. "Last night was terrible."  
"All first dates should be terrible." Merlin smirked. "It's practice for the next one. Now don't waste your time here with me."

Arthur stared into Merlin's eyes. "It was a date?"  
"Oh..." Merlin replied, blushing a bit. "I guess not."  
"It wasn't?" Arthur sounded hopeless. "I mean, just_"  
"Let's try it again next week or so." Merlin redeemed both Arthur and himself.

"Okay, next week...Friday, seven o'clock, at night!" Arthur said walking backwards towards the door. "See you then."  
"See you then."

Arthur quickly ran out of the restaurant and nearly tripped over himself to get into his car.  
"Oh my God, he loves you. You make him so nervous." Gwen laughed. "It's so cute!"

"I wouldn't say that." Merlin said. "I mean..." The brunette itched his head nervously.  
"Lucky you." Elyon joked. "Just don't leave us like Gwaine did."

The group had a good laugh before Merlin's phone rang. He took it from his pocket and held it to his ear. There were a few "Yes's" and "Ok's" and then Merlin's face went real red.  
"Thank you." Merlin clamped his phone shut.  
"What is it?" Gwen asked.  
"Mordred, he's started another fight at school." Merlin sighed. "We have to go pick him up."  
"Not again." Gwen raced over to Merlin. "He'll be expelled."

"I don't think he really cares." Lance shrugged.  
"Nevertheless we've got to go...see you all later."

* * *

Mordred was very notorious for either starting school fights or being in them. It was normal for Gwen and Merlin to have to pull him out. Mordred had been through so many schools in his lifetime that Merlin just stopped wasting his money and sent Mordred to the local school that was free. Yet, Mordred continued to engage in fights and hang around the wrong crowd. Kara, Merlin's friend and fellow work mate, went to school with Mordred and through the years had developed a crush on him. Of course, Mordred never gave her the time of day, leaving her for his gang friends.

In addition to getting in fights at school, he got into fights in his neighbourhood.

"I hope things work out with you." Lance happily said as the two left.

* * *

Arthur frowned as he saw a woman overly dressed in priceless jewels enter the five star restaurant he sat in. Deep down inside, he longed to be somewhere else. He wanted to be where his true love was. He remembered the restaurant and compared it to this one. Merlin's restaurant was more like a diner, with relics of the past hung up on the old oak walls and interesting things hanging from the worn wooden ceiling. He loved the feeling of seeing the employees dressed in all black, letting loose and asking people their orders. He loved the fact that everybody got along so well.

He sat in a restaurant now, made with marble floors, glass tables and diamond chandeliers hanging about. He hated everything about this place and the thought that people actually ate here made him angry inside.  
The woman, who had pale skin and too much makeup on sat before him. "Arthur." She said, flipping back her beautiful hair. Arthur smelt her perfume. "It's been ages. Morgana has told me so much."  
"Has she?" Arthur was hardly paying attention. This date was so much more different from the date the previous night.  
"Yes, and so has your father." Now this got Arthur to stare.  
"What has he said?" Arthur gave her his full attention.  
"He wishes for us to join in wedlock by the end of this month, or the next. I'm very excited, and I just wanted your opinion on our proposal."  
Arthur itched his head curiously. "Proposal?" He asked. "That would involve me loving you and actually proposing to you in the first place. On top of that, I don't remember you and I don't know your name." Arthur shrugged and saw how hurt the girl looked.  
"It's supposed to be to ensure my family fortune, to ensure your family_"  
"I'm not really too keen on ensuring anybody's fortune but my own. Not my father's, not my sister, and most importantly not yours. You can tell my father every bit of this."

Arthur got up and left the girl sitting there. He didn't care if he had hurt her feelings, he didn't care if she went crying to her rich father. He was just furious that his father would do something like that behind his back. How could a man sell his own son's heart like a replaceable item?

Uther knew what had happened nearly two years before all of this; he knew that Arthur was still injured from the death of his lost love.

_Peter_.

The name rung in Arthur's head and caused him the greatest amount of pain he'd ever felt. He brushed the feeling off and hoped in his car. He didn't even look back at the restaurant before speeding off.

* * *

The two weren't surprised when they saw Mordred sitting in the front office bruised, and with crossed arms. He didn't even look at the two when they arrived in the office, he only shifted so he could avoid Merlin's harsh gaze.  
The Headmistress, a young woman for the job quickly rushed inside. Her pony tail bounced as she made her way before Merlin and Arthur.

"I'm so sorry." She said, looking up at the two. "I know you have to work long hours but_" "I know." Merlin said. "We understand."

"Do you?" She asked, a smile made its way to her face.  
She looked up at Merlin in admiration before turning towards Mordred. "You may go now, you can come back tomorrow. Please Mordred, stop these fights."

"Tsk." He replied, rolling his eyes and standing up. "Just kick these assholes out." The Headmistress blushed in shame, but Merlin quickly came to her defense.  
"You must be referring to yourself there Mordred." He said crossing his arms. "You owe her an apology."  
There was that usual, painful silence before Mordred said something vulgar and left the office. The small headmistress, dressed in a green dress that resembled a turtle sank in her seat.

"You are such good people." She looked at Gwen and Merlin. "And to expell him, I think that would betray your trust."

"You must do it if it comes to it." Gwen smiled.

"Yes, don't give him a special treatment." Merlin added. "We'll deal with him, don't you worry yourself.

The Headmistress smiled and the two smiled back at her. Within seconds, they were both gone, leaving her to file her papers.

* * *

Arthur sat on his sofa drinking a strong beverage while listening to his sister on the phone.

"_Father requests a meeting with you today!"_

__"Does he?" Arthur asked. "Will he ever learn to leave me at peace."

_"This is serious Arthur, our family depends on you become Sarah's husband."_

__"And I don't care, I have invested on every single thing I have without father's money. What happens to Sarah or you, I could care less about."

Arthur ended the call before Morgana could say anything else. He continued to drink his strong drink, attempting to wash away memories of the past.

And even though he tried his hardest, that poor Redheaded boy still held a place in his aching heart.

* * *

**I bet everyone wants to know who Peter is! Well read on and you'll figure out . Please, please please Review! And I don't own BBC Merlin.**


	6. Chapter 6

Morgana Pendragon was never happy, she hadn't been in years. In the past two months, she had been married twice and divorced just as much. And a year before she had an abortion in fear that the child would ruin her body. She thought that the illusion of money would please and pleasure her, but she was wrong. She was missing something that she knew none of her suitors could give her, and that was love.

* * *

Uther banged his fist on the table for the fifth time before glaring at his son in fury. "You must marry Sarah!" He ordered. "If you care for this family's well being!"  
Arthur, who had his feet propped up on the glass table shrugged. "Well, I don't really care about what happens to this family, or its fortune." He smiled. "Now father," He stood up. "I have some place to be."

"No!" Uther shouted, grabbing his son's arm. This had been going on for an hour and Uther intended to end it.

Morgana, who stood in the corner of the huge room slightly jumped. She felt cold sweat go down her back as she stared at the two. She hated when their fights became physical and more than that, she hated that her brother couldn't be happy for what he was. He was rich, he was an heir to a fortune but yet he put all that aside for something that his family had no clue about.  
Her brother angered her, but at the same time he amazed her. He had the strength and courage to stand up to Uther, and that was something Morgana lacked. Arthur never let their father control his life, and she admired that about him.

"Let me go." Arthur commanded in such a flat tone. "I want nothing, to do with you. Nothing to do with this family." He pulled his arm free and without a word darted down the stairs. Within seconds, the front door slammed and a car could be heard screeching out of the driveway in full speed.

Uther looked towards his daughter and frowned. "Where did I go wrong? Was it when I divorced his mother?"  
"I don't know father." Morgana sighed knowing that Uther had actually cheated on Arthur's mother with her mother. But that wasn't all the fueled Arthur's hate.  
"Morgana love," Uther made way towards her. "I want you to keep tabs on your brother for me." She looked up, shocked and surprised.  
"Father...I_" "Yes you can." Uther placed his warm hands on her shoulders. "He wasn't dressed in his usual suit attire, he was just wearing a T-Shirt, jeans and sneakers, I'm concerned about what he is doing."

Morgana nodded, once again acknowledging the fact that she did everything her father told her.

* * *

When Arthur arrived at the restaurant, he was surprised to see that Merlin was absent.  
"He's not here, Mr. Pendragon, he's actually at the bookstore down the street." A girl, known by the name of Kara said, she had a bright smile.  
"Oh thank you." Arthur said, returning her smile and quickly leaving the shop. Not bothering to get in his car, he darted down the street, dodging angry men and women who yelled at him.  
When the only book store he saw finally came into view, he dashed inside and shut the door behind him. A bell rang above his head, signaling that someone had entered the shop.  
"Hello?" A small woman asked from the front desk. "Do you need something?" Luckily, she hadn't known who Arthur was, and didn't cause a ruckus.  
"Nothing, thank you. I'm just looking for someone."

Arthur darted through the numerous bookshelves and stopped when he saw one that read above it, "Chemical Properties.". Sitting on the ground, holding a book was Merlin. He seemed so focused that Arthur thought it would be an offense to disturb him, but shrugging he walked into the aisle of books and sat down. Merlin had noticed him yet until he felt someone put a warm arm around him. He dropped his book and looked at Arthur in surprise.

"Arthur!" He yelped. "What are you doing?"  
"Well...I just wanted to see you." Arthur replied. "I had a rough morning."  
"Same here." Merlin admitted, picking up his book and flipping a page.  
"How so?"  
"Take a look for yourself." Merlin turned around as he sat and faced Arthur. There was a large burn down his neck and barely on his face. Though he didn't seem too worried about it, Arthur sat there looking shocked.  
"How_" "My stove blew out and it got my face. Don't worry, I don't think it'll stay."  
"Well, did you go to the doctor for it?" Arthur asked.  
"Nope, the clinic wasn't open." Merlin carelessly replied.  
"Not the clinic, the doctor." Arthur dryly replied. "It can get infected."  
"If it does, I'll handle it_" Arthur had hoisted Merlin up and over his shoulder against his will and now carried him out of the book store. Merlin, who was visibly surprised and angry attempted to fight back.

"A...Arthur! Put me down!" Merlin yelled.  
"No, if you're not going to take care of yourself then I guess I'll have to try." Arthur replied, ignoring the glares he received from customers in the bookstore.

When he finally got back to his car, he forced Merlin inside and quickly buckled him up. Then he took a seat in the car and drove off. For the first ten minutes, there was nothing but silence and then finally, Merlin broke the ice with a question.  
"Where are you taking me?" He asked, crossing his arms.  
"To an actual doctor, not a clinic of uncertified men and women." Arthur replied. "And are you going to get a new stove?"  
Merlin sighed and looked out of the window. "I don't have money for a new stove, nor do I want you buying one for me." And then again, there was a long pause of silence until Arthur mustered up something to say.  
"I saw the book you were reading. You have to be pretty smart to understand that stuff, right? Is that why you were reading it?"  
"Yeah..." Merlin sounded interested.  
Arthur chuckled before speaking again. "You hate me." His voice was serious. "And you have every right to...after what happen to your mother."  
Merlin who felt his heart sink sighed and spoke. "I don't hate you. What your father did to my family...to my mother had nothing to do with you and still, has nothing to do with you. You are not your father." He said. "And I hope you realize that."

Again, there was more silence until Arthur pulled into the parking lot of a large hospital. Before Merlin could get out of the car, Arthur already held the door open and assisted him.  
"I'm fine..." Merlin looked ahead. "This place is huge."  
"Yeah..." Arthur smiled and took Merlin by the hand.

* * *

"Sir Pendragon, if you'd have waited any longer, this burn would have gotten infected." The doctor said, examining Merlin's neck.  
"It's a good thing I spotted it then, right Merlin?" Arthur teased.  
"Shut up." Merlin angrily stammered.

The surprised doctor looked at Arthur, who only smiled. "What else do I need to know."  
"Here." The doctor filled out a prescription sheet. "He needs to rub this on his burn every night before he goes to bed and," The doctor handed the paper to Arthur and filled out another one. "He needs these pain killers. Two a day."

Merlin snatched the papers from Arthur and stared in horror. "Together, these are $300, Arthur I can't afford this."  
"I know you can't, I'm buying them for you."  
"Arthur_"  
"My insurance will cover this sir." Arthur told the doctor.  
"Well then, the two of you are free to go."

* * *

"Are you going to complain the whole way to the pharmacy?" Arthur asked.  
"I don't want you doing this!" Merlin yelled. "I don't need your help!"

Arthur rolled his eyes as he pulled into the pharmacy. "Are you coming inside or staying?" Arthur asked.  
Merlin grunted as Arthur assisted him out of the car. "It hurts doesn't it? Just admit it already." Merlin kept his mouth shut as he followed Arthur into the store.

* * *

Morgana was shocked when she saw her brother bring the same man into the pharmacy that he had brought to the hospital. Was there something going on between the two? If so, it was strictly forbidden.  
Morgana took her phone from her purse and snapped a picture of the two, not sure whether to send it to her father or not.

For a long time, she stared and saw Arthur leave the other man alone. The brunette retreated to the book section and unknowingly, Morgana followed him. She didn't get close enough to talk to him, but she remembered him from somewhere.

"Hello." She said as she walked over to him.

"Aye...Oh..." The two instantly recognized each other. "Lady Pendragon?" He held a book but placed it back on the bookshelf.

Morgana felt her heart grow heavy when he addressed her. _  
_

_Lady Pendragon! Why can't he just call me Morgana? He probably calls my brother my his name! What makes me different? _She thought to herself. Instantly, her eyes grew heavy with tears and she began to cry.

"Oh...um..." Was all the man could say as she ran into him and hugged herself to his chest. This had to be strange for the poor Irishman, but she just needed some real comfort. She didn't care about the burn on his face or that he wasn't rich, she just wanted to feel better...to feel happy.

* * *

**Read and Review! And I don't own BBC Merlin.**


	7. Chapter 7

"Morgana!" Arthur's voice ran through the store, causing the two to look. He hurried down the aisle and grabbed his sister by her arm. "What are you doing here?" He said grimly.  
"Arthur!" Merlin yelled as Arthur took the crying girl from him. "Stop it!"  
"Don't you start feeling bad for her for a second!"  
Morgana cried and screamed as she attempted to push away from her brother's grasp. "Let me go!" She yelled. "Please!"  
"Arthur_" "Did father send you?"

People started to gather and stare, pointing and whispering things. As Arthur held his sister in a deadly grasp he felt his chest tighten as he realized that the gatherers knew who they were. Morgana had drawn too much attention to the three.

"Merlin, go wait outside." The brunette didn't budge. "Don't you argue this one with me!"  
Merlin rolled his eyes and went to wait next to the car.  
The crowd started to clear off, leaving Morgana crying her heart out. "Let me go!"  
"Not until you tell me why you're here." He tightened his grip.  
"Stop it! You're hurting me!" She protested, looking into her brother's eyes. They were no longer that soft ocean blue, but they were fierce and blank. He looked like he wanted to kill her...he looked like he did that night when he almost did kill her.

"Arthur!" The voice belonged to Merlin who stood behind him. "Please, let her go."  
Automatically, Arthur released his grip and Morgana dashed out of the pharmacy. She didn't even buckle up as she got into her car and sped away.

She cried as she replayed the events in her head and felt a shudder go down her back as she remembered the night her brother had tried to kill her, her mother and their father. He was so filled with rage for the death of his lover that he was brought over to the edge. That was where the split began, that's why Arthur hated every single Pendragon...even himself.

Morgana wasn't the right person for this job because she knew that Arthur would kill her with any chance he got.  
_

* * *

The car ride was completely silent as the two drove.  
Arthur didn't speak and neither did Merlin, the brunette only looked out of the window. He didn't even ask Arthur where he was taking him (he wasn't very aware of his surroundings.) When the car finally stopped in a very nice parking lot, Arthur got out and opened the door for Merlin.

"Where are we?" Merlin blandly asked.  
"My flat, penthouse." Artur motioned up, took his hand and led him into the building. Merlin didn't protest as the two entered the building and went into an elevator that took them to the top floor.  
Arthur searched for his room number, took out a key from his pocket and opened the door. Merlin gasped when he entered and saw how large the flat was. He stared as he looked at a staircase (at the top floor?), expensive furniture and a large television. There were huge windows, allowing splashes of sunlight to enter what Merlin supposed was the living room.  
He stood there in awe, soaking up every single thing he saw and understanding that Arthur's life was different from his in so many ways.

"Let me show you around." The voice had ruined Merlin's concentration. Arthur took a hold of Merlin's hand and pulled him up the stairs where they entered a room much larger than Merlin thought it should be.  
"Do you live here, alone?" Merlin asked, as Arthur pulled him in.  
"Yes." Arthur shut the door. "I do."  
"This is your room?"  
"Yes it is."

Merlin sighed as he walked around. He then noticed his shoes were still on, so he quickly took them off and placed them on a rug. "This place is huge." He said. "You really are rich."  
"Yeah..." Arthur walked towards Merlin who was presently looking at his bookshelf. "But I swear money can't buy one happiness."  
Merlin wasn't paying attention, he was looking at a picture of a redhead boy with wild freckles and green eyes. He looked fairly okay, he was young though. "Who is this?" Merlin picked up the picture and showed it to Arthur.  
"Peter..." Arthur said, in a very strange tone.  
"Was he important to you?" Merlin asked.  
"Very."  
"What happened to him?"  
Arthur's face twisted into something that Merlin had never seen before he shook his head. "He died, he killed himself...it was Morgana and my father's fault." He looked at Merlin, his face returning to normal. "I don't want to talk about him now." It was more of an order, and Merlin obeyed.  
He found himself sitting down on Arthur's large bed and before a matter of time, the blond joined him. "Why am I here?" Merlin asked.  
Arthur shrugged. "I like being around you." He admitted. "My life is a living hell, I need someone normal to be around." He unknowingly edged closer to Merlin.  
"If anything, I like being around you too." Merlin said. "But...you know we can't be...look at reality. I'm a waiter, you are the son of the Duke." Arthur's hand had coiled around Merlin's, silencing him for an instant before he began again. "But I do like you...but we should just stop seeing each other."  
"No..." Arthur said softly, he was so close to Merlin now and he wasn't even sure the brunette was aware. His lips could brush Merlin's ear or he could even steal a kiss. "Stay."

Merlin felt Arthur's warm breath and turned around to face him. It was as if time stopped, Merlin became captivated in Arthur's ocean blue eyes. For a while, the two stared at each other before Merlin's whole body finally protested against him. Slowly but firmly, he pressed his lips upon Arthur's and let them linger there. They were soft and warm, leaving Merlin with a great sensation.

_Shit! What am I doing?_ Merlin thought as he pulled away.  
Arthur stared at Merlin with wide blue eyes as the brunette rose from the bed and backed away, nearly tripping over himself. "I'm sorry!" Merlin apologized. "I should not have...ugh." He felt sick inside as he made way to leave the room. How could he do this? He had just ruined everything and most importantly, he had betrayed himself.

As soon as he grabbed the cold doorknob, he felt Arthur grab his shoulders and pull him back to the bed. He fell upon the soft mattress only to have a much more heavier force advance upon him and before he knew it, Arthur's lips were now intertwined with his.  
Arthur brought his hands up and cupped Merlin's face while he kissed him, only stopping to gasp for air. Merlin who was confused by all of this mustered up the strength to ask a question. "Why?" He said as Arthur rested on top of him. "Why do you love me?" The question was an honest one but he sounded hurt and agonized. "I'm not good for you, your family_" "About five years ago Merlin, I was sent to jail for trying to kill my family." Arthur admitted, he grinned. "I want nothing to do with them, not my father or Morgana." He stared into Merlin's eyes, understanding that _his _brunette was still lost. "I love you because you are real, you are not fake! You are a person, not a walking bank or someone my father has picked out for me!"

Arthur rolled off of Merlin and pulled him into a hug. "I love you too." Merlin finally managed. "I just wish that..." He shook his head as he pulled himself into Arthur**.**

"Let's just sleep here for a while..." Arthur whispered. "I promise, I'll take you home...okay?"

Merlin nodded and slowly closed his eyes, fading into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

**I literally took a History test today, that killed me, I swear it did. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW IT! PLEASE REVIEW! IF YOU ARE READING THIS, PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW I AM ASKING YOU! And in that review, just tell me how your life is going. Do you have any questions? Do you have a date for Valentines day? Do ya? Because I don't, but I still love it!**

**I don't own BBC Merlin.**


	8. Chapter 8

Morgana, eyes filled with tears, made a short stop at a small restaurant, the same one that had started this whole mess. She didn't even let the kind waitress offer her anything, she only rushed to the bathroom where she stared at her pitiful reflection in the glass mirror and cried.  
Her reflection mocked her, it revealed to her every flaw in her life.

Another shudder escaped her lips and instantly she thought about the baby that she killed because of she cared to much for her image. That child died knowing that she, its mother, cared about how she looked more than its life and it resulted in her getting an abortion. During that, her husband at that time had been cheating on her. He wasn't faithful and neither was she.

How she wished that she could end it all. It would be so easy, to hang herself with her belt...or take an over dose of the painkillers she carried in her purse.

Yes, that's what she'd do!

Quickly thinking, she took a bottle of pills from her purse, not caring how many she dumped into her trembling hand. She had with her also, a bottle of water that she could use to wash them down.

She stared at the blue pills that rested in her palm, thinking hard on the decision before bringing her hand to her mouth.

"Stop, don't do it."

The voice was soft and gentle. It came from behind Morgana.  
She quickly turned around and noticed the waitress standing behind her. "I'm Gwen." She said. "Don't do it, Morgana."  
_She called me by my real name._ Morgana thought as she looked at this woman with sorrowful eyes. _She sees me for the real me!_  
"Let's talk." Gwen said, walking towards her. "I know...life is really tough isn't it? But trust me, you have it better than me."

Morgana let the pills fall on the floor as she stared at Gwen in shock. "Do you know who I am?" She asked the waitress.  
"Yes." Gwen was in front of her. "Yes I do, and I know that you are a human as well."

Something overcame Morgana as she stared deep into the waitresses eyes. It was as if Gwen could see right through her, it was as if she understood her more than she did herself. Perhaps, even more than her father did. For once in her life, Morgana had seen someone much more prettier than herself and someone who was truly, pure.  
"Can we...talk?" Gwen asked.  
"Yes...please." Morgana replied, and the two walked out of the bathroom together.

* * *

**I know this is a very short chapter, but I wanted to elaborate on Morgana a bit more. I hope you liked it.**

**Please Review and I don't own Merlin.**


	9. Chapter 9

Merlin noticed two things when he woke up. For one, it was dark outside so he had been asleep for hours. Secondly, Arthur wasn't there next to him, he was in another room talking quickly, and violently on the phone.

Merlin groaned and sat up, slowly walking into the next room where he found Arthur furiously yelling on the phone.  
"I don't give a damn what my father says! Do you understand me?" Arthur bellowed. "And I could care even less about your father, or you!" Merlin flinched a bit as Arthur's voice escalated. The person on the other line, a female, was yelling at him angrily. Merlin couldn't help thinking that he was the center of the argument.  
"So Morgana did tell you?" He heard Arthur ask, with a calm yet demanding voice.  
Merlin stood in the doorway, looking paler than usual. Arthur seemed to notice this. I'm sorry! He mouthed to Merlin, as he listed to the woman on the phone talking.  
"I, do not love you." He stated. "In fact Sarah, I hate you. I hate Uther, I hate his bloody wife and I hate Morgana."  
He ended the call instantly and faced Merlin. "I'm so sorry...did I wake you?"  
"No." Merlin said. "Arthur...is this my fault? Did Morgana...tell somebody about us? If that's the case then we shouldn't_"

"Don't you say that!" Arthur rushed over to Merlin and was in front of him in an instant. "Don't you dare say that!" He grabbed the brunette's shoulders in a tight, firm grip. "They don't know us, okay!?"  
Merlin could tell that Arthur was furious and he'd never seen him that way.  
"Sorry…" Arthur released his grip. "It's just that something like this happened a while back. I still haven't been able to let it go."  
"Did it have to deal with the boy in the picture?" Merlin asked. "The redhead?"  
Arthur leaned on the wall and nodded. "It had everything to do with him. I'll tell you a bit of his story. His name was Peter, we went out for a while…my family basically lied to him…and it was in public, in the media. Well, he didn't believe a word I said, and he felt betrayed and heartbroken. He ended taking his own life and jumping off of an overpass. He survived the jump but died in a hospital."  
Even though Merlin knew that wasn't the full story, he nodded anyway. "I'm sorry." He managed.  
"Don't be, just don't let them influence you." Arthur pushed off of the wall. "Especially Morgana. She'll blink her pretty little eyes and expect some man to fall flat before her feet. Truth is, the bitch is a lying whore. I'll kill her once I get the chance." He wounded dead serious, so Merlin attempted to change the subject.  
"It's dark." He said meekly. "I basically blew off work."  
"It's fine." Arthur pulled him into a warm embrace. "I'll take you home."  
"No." Merlin said, with protest in his voice. "Just drop me by the restaurant…you shouldn't have to take me home. I live in a bad neighborhood."  
Rolling his eyes, Arthur planted a kiss on Merlin's lips. "Fine, I'll take you to the restaurant."

* * *

Gwen wasn't a therapist or anything, but she didn't have a problem trying to help Morgana. She held Morgana's hand as she cried and basically poured out everything. Every sin she had ever committed, everything she had done wrong. Occasionally Freya and Kara would offer water, or bring napkins but other than that…it was only Gwen and Morgana.  
When Gwen heard the door open, she was relieved to see Merlin walking inside with an apologetic look on his face.  
"Sorry!" He said, and seconds later, Arthur joined him.  
Morgana's eyes opened wide when she saw her brother. Arthur didn't look too happy either. "What is she doing here?" He asked.  
"Arthur…" Merlin began. "Calm down."  
"No!" Arthur yelled, raising his voice. Luckily only Freya, Karla, Gwen, Merlin, Morgana and Arthur were present.  
The two girls, Karla and Freya stuck their heads out of the kitchen when they heart the young Pendragon yell.  
"I told you, do not trust her for a second Merlin!" He looked angry and even more furious than before as he quickly walked over to Morgana and stood her up by her hair.  
Both Karla and Freya had emerged, but they hid behind Merlin.  
"Stop it!" Gwen yelled.  
"Oh, if you only knew the things she'd done you'd want to even worse to this worthless, pathetic bitch!"  
Again, Morgana began to cry as her brother forced her to her feet. "For once, would you stop crying!?" He asked. "Do you expect your father to come and help you?"  
"He's your father too!" Morgana protested.  
By this time, Gwen had migrated behind Merlin along with the other two girls. For a while, the four watched having no clue what to do as the siblings argued. Finally, when it looked like Arthur was going to hit Morgana, Merlin manned up and stepped forward.  
"Arthur, I know she had done terrible things, but let her go. If she's as bad as you say, then she's not really worth it."  
Silence fell between everybody before Arthur released his sister. She stared at Merlin with a hurt expression before turning towards the others.  
"You crack whore," Arthur said. "You'll probably kill yourself before I do, so go along now."  
"Arthur!" Merlin yelled.  
The blond rolled his eyes at Merlin. "Did you not listen to anything I told you?"  
"I did but…" Merlin sighed. "She's so pitiful, give her the benefit of the_" "I'll fiver her the benefit of the doubt when she feels everything that Peter felt, when she throws herself off an overpass."  
Arthur quickly left the restaurant in a rage, leaving Morgana standing there.  
"Sorry!" She squeaked. "I'm so sorry…for everything!"  
"Are you hungry?" Merlin asked. "I can fix you something."  
Morgana stared wide eyed, but nodded. "That would be great, thank you so much!"  
With that, Merlin made his way back into the kitchen and began to cook something small. Minutes later, he came outside and set a plate in front of Morgana. The group watched her as she ate.  
"Do you really do crack?" Kara's high pitched voice broke the silence, causing all of them to glare at her.  
"I used to…now I'm just on some other stuff." Morgana admitted.  
"You should stop." Merlin said. "It's bad for your body."  
She sighed and continued to eat the pasta. "This is really good." She smiled a bit.  
"Oh thanks!" Merlin said. "Pasta…I like to make it."  
And again, there was that awful silence between everyone as they watched Morgana eat. When she was finished, she turned to look at them. "Do you have any job openings here?"  
"Uh…" Freya looked nervous. "We do but_"  
"This place," She said, looking around at all the old pictures on the wall. "It makes me really happy." She looked at Merlin. "And you seem to make Arthur very happy. I'm truly sorry for what happened to Peter."  
"I don't think it's me you need to be apologizing to." Merlin said.  
"I know…it's Arthur right? But I've tried and I've tried…Merlin you don't understand! He hates me! He wants me dead. He's tried to kill me before and once, he almost got his way.  
Gwen gulped and it came out louder than she wanted it to be. "Care to elaborate."  
"Basically…after his previous lover died…he went on a wild rampage. He was insane, and it was scary." She looked pained to remember it. "He came into my room at night with a large blade and he nearly stabbed me to death…"  
"Don't continue." Kara begged. "Please…I don't want to have nightmares."  
"Okay." Morgana said, looking at Merlin. "Thank you."  
"No problem…I hope everything goes well." Merlin helped her up. "And regardless of what your brother says…I like you."  
She gave him a heartwarming smile before vanishing into the night air.  
All the girls then looked at Merlin, and then smiled. "So…" Gwen asked. "Did you two, you know…?"  
"No!" Merlin blushed. "We just kissed and fell asleep together! That's it, I promise!"  
"At least you had a good time." Gwen said.  
"Yeah." Freya held a note pad. "Now, we have Morgana to worry about it seems."

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**Hope you like this little chapter!  
I don't own Merlin sadly.**

**Also...for those of you who do fan art, would you like to illustrate for this story, or any other stories I write. I have a list on my DA page, the link is on my Fanfiction page. If you guys could check that out, it would be awesome!**

**Read and Review! **


	10. Chapter 10

Sighing deeply, Merlin took a sip of his hot coffee. Absently mindedly, his hand reached up and rubbed the fading scar that his burn had left. That was about a month and a half ago, and so far things were going fine. And at the same time, things were different.

Merlin wasn't all that sure of trusting Morgana, but as she was "secretly" employed at the restaurant, she began to show how trustworthy she actually was. That was a really good thing, considering what he'd heard from his boyfriend.

_Boyfriend... _  
As Merlin read the paper in the restaurant, a mental image of Arthur popped into his head. The way the aristocrat nearly tried to seduce him every night, and he didn't try to hide his lust either. Arthur would take Merlin to his house for a while, and then...  
It made Merlin blush to think about it, but that's what he got for being in a passionate relationship with the son of a Royal Duke.

"What?" Merlin said to himself as he read over a section and the paper, then looked at the picture. It was an image of Arthur sticking the middle finger out...to none other than his father.

**Has the Young Pendragon Heir Lost It?**  
**Arthur Pendgraon was reported yelling at his father before storming**  
**out of the house and giving him the finger. More inside...**

Merlin read over that tons of times before daring himself to open the paper and read the whole story. "No..." He told himself, feeling sheepish. Whatever Arthur did to end up in the paper, Merlin didn't really care to know.

"Order up!" Gwen's voice rang through the restaurant, as she handed Merlin a tray. He placed the paper down and took the food in his own hands. He smiled at Gwen before delivering the food to the customers. "I hope you enjoy!" Merlin had the biggest smile on his face, something that the customers noticed.  
He went back into the kitchen and bumped into a beaming Morgana on her way out. "Sorry!"He said. "Do you need help." She was carrying a tray full of food.  
"No, I think I've got the hang of it." She smiled at Merlin before vanishing.  
Sighing, Merlin went back in his seat and sat down, reading over the paper again. About a minute later, his phone rang and he wasn't surprised to see who it was.  
"Arthur." He calmly said.  
_"You sound different."_  
"A bit on edge, I saw your face in the paper." Merlin said blandly.  
_"You're on edge about everything._" Arthur joked. "_When are you free?_"  
"In a few hours, don't you have some meeting to be at?"  
_"If you read the paper, you'd see that my schedule has been cleared."_  
Rolling his eyes, Merlin flipped a few pages before reading the main article. "So what...you want to go out tonight?"  
"_I want you_," Arthur began. "A_t my house tonight, and in my bed, drunk and most likely naked_."  
"Seriously?" Merlin laughed.  
"_Seriously_."  
"I'm sorry Your Grace, but I'm busy..."  
_"Think about it." _Arthur urged._ "I want an answer soon."_  
And like that, he hung up leaving Merlin blushing more than he wanted to.

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**Yes, I know it was short and I know that I haven't updated in a long time. I wouldn't want to say that I'm losing my Merlin spark...but...ya know.**

**Anyway, I don't own BBC Merlin.**


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